Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Win over Florida State
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Each week this season, we’ll take a look at the game that was for the Hurricanes.
Here are some key storylines, numbers of notes and quotes from Miami’s 36-14 win over rival Florida State on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, a win that helped the Hurricanes move up one spot to No. 5 in the AP Top 25.
The Recap
After winning three straight hard-fought conference games – including two on the road – the Hurricanes returned to Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night to face one of their most familiar foes: instate rival Florida State.
The Seminoles have hardly had the season they’d hoped to have after winning the ACC championship and going 13-1 last year.
Florida State entered Saturday’s matchup with just one win on the season, but Miami’s coaches and players made it clear in the days leading up to the game they weren’t paying any attention to the Seminoles’ record. Rivalry games, they said, are about far more than records.
But from the start, it was clear the unbeaten Hurricanes were too much for Florida State.
Miami opened the game with a quick 7-play, 67-yard drive that took 2:29 off the clock and ended when Mark Fletcher Jr. – playing in Saturday’s game just days after losing his father, Mark. Sr. – scored on a 1-yard run.
Fletcher finished the day with 15 carries for 71 yards and once again, was part of a potent Miami rushing attack that impacted the game from start to finish.
Fellow running back Damien Martinez had 15 carries for a game-high 148 yards and two touchdowns, including an 18-yard run in the second quarter that pushed Miami’s lead to 14-0 after the extra point. He also scored on a 12-yard run in the game’s final minutes.
Kicker Andy Borregales was a steady presence for the Hurricanes all night, converting on all three of his field goal attempts, including a long of 45 yards that gave Miami a 23-7 lead in the third quarter.
Quarterback Cam Ward, meanwhile, completed 22 of 35 passes for 208 yards and was on the receiving end of a touchdown himself, catching a 7-yard pass from tight end Elijah Arroyo on a play the Hurricanes call “Texas” since both the quarterback and tight end hail from the Lone Star State.
All of that, ultimately, contributed to a comfortable win for the Hurricanes and helped them end a three-game losing streak to their rivals from Tallahassee.
“We never really lost control of the game, but it took us a while to start pulling away,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I think they did a good job with some of their coverages. They did put a little bit of pressure on the quarterback, but we pounded the ball really well. We ran the ball well and got downhill. We got hats on hats and ran through tackles. We were aggressive with some fourth downs. The defense was the story of the game. They just played their tails off. They were putting pressure on the quarterback. They made it really difficult to run the football. They were getting 11 hats to the ball all the time. They broke free from several just lasso-collar holding calls that we just have got to keep getting better at.
“But all in all, just very proud of our team. Two years ago, you know, we stood up here and talked about building it and it’s good to, a couple years later into this to see a victory like that and earn the title of state champions.”
Numbers to Know
24 – Receiving yards for Xavier Restrepo against Florida State. The veteran wide receiver now has 2,427 yards for his career and on Saturday, bypassed Michael Irvin for third on Miami’s all-time receiving list.
3 – Field goals made by Hurricanes kicker Andy Borregales in the win. Borregales now has 67 field goals in his Miami career. He moved past Jon Peattie for third on Miami’s all-time field goal list.
9 – Hurricanes who caught at least one pass from quarterback Cam Ward. Isaiah Horton led the way with six catches for 65 yards.
7 – Tackles notched by Miami linebacker Francisco Mauigoa. That led the Hurricanes defense.
115 – Total passing yards allowed by the Miami defense. That was Florida State’s lowest total of the year.
Quotable
“To me, the most important thing is that we play our best football. At the end of the day, all these games are playoff games. They’re all conference games. They all mean something. … Our goal is to be 1-0 and play our best football, as well. This was progress in that direction. Again, hats off to the defense. They set the tone. They did it with the front seven and then the backend guys, you know what they did tonight, they communicated really well. They were just thinking lockdown, lockdown, lockdown. That’s what we did earlier in the season. I think we’re back on track and doing that. We’ve got some things to clean up, but certainly looking forward to getting back in there and being 1-0 for the week. And, again, critically important to go out there and beat this program and to be undefeated in the state of Florida. I think it sends a strong message. I think all recruits, in-state and out-of-state, can now clearly see the trajectory of this program versus the trajectory of the other programs.”
– Head coach Mario Cristobal, on the importance of the win and going 1-0 for the week
“We’re just such a big family. It’s such a brotherhood. When one of us hurt, we all hurt. Losing my dad, it’s so hard. I don’t really know how to cope. I’m still processing. But just being around this team, being around this staff, yeah, I can be down, but they just pick me right up all the time. It’s coming from everybody, not just teammates and coaches, but the staff, the nutritionists, everybody. They’re just all giving me all the support. I love it, man. I’m so thankful.”
– Running back Mark Fletcher, Jr., on why it was important for him to play Saturday, just days after losing his father
“When you can run the ball like we can, it makes my job easier. We have the best two running backs in the country in [Damien Martinez] and [Mark Fletcher]. So, that was the emphasis on us. … When you run for 200 yards, it’s going to be hard to stop your offense.”
– Quarterback Cam Ward, on how Miami’s running attack against the Seminoles
“It’s always a big thing, being state champs. Obviously, credit to FSU. They have a whole bunch of athletes over there and we knew coming into this game they weren’t going to play how their record is. We just know they’re going to come in and give us their best shot. We came out, we executed and again, being state champs is great. I was a state champ in high school, so had to do it at least once in college.”
– Kicker Andy Borregales, on what it meant for Miami to beat Florida, Florida State, Florida A&M and USF all in one season
“I think everybody, once we put it all together, [we’re] going to be a very dangerous football team. I say that because I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it on Greentree. I’ve seen it at practice. These guys go at it, every single day, every single time. They sweat, they put tears out there just to make sure we put on a show for people out there.”
– Linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, on Miami’s potential
Up Next
Miami’s brief two-game homestand – and run through ACC play – continues next week when the Hurricanes welcome Duke to Hard Rock Stadium.
The Blue Devils, led by former Miami coach Manny Diaz, enter this week’s game with a 6-2 mark after a 28-27 overtime loss against new ACC member SMU.
Duke forced six turnovers in the game and scored in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but ultimately came up short.
Quarterback Maalik Murphy completed 27 of 48 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, while receiver Eli Pancol had 11 catches for 138 yards.
Miami and Duke have met 20 times, with Miami holding a 15-5 lead in the all-time series, including six wins in games played in South Florida.
